Having just returned from a family holiday to Borneo, I could share stories of the luxury hotels or the hours of duty free shopping, but that's not really us.
Instead my thoughts run to the palm oil plantations, orang-utan rehabilitation centres and the homestay which was part of the MESCOT program - a social enterprise in a small village in Sabah. Mescot stands for Model Ecologically Sustainable Community Based Conservation & Tourism and provides volunteer opportunities for visitors from around the world to spend time with a local family and work on the rehabilitation programs in the area. There is much more to it than that, so please check out the site.
So I found myself living in Mengaris Village that, with the support of an Australian social entreprepreneur, had little choice but to find a new way of surviving. Once it had been a prosperous village, with locals employed to ferry the cars across the Kinabatangan River. But a major bypass bridge and highway built directly over the community stopped this and resulted in a range of social and economical issues.
In looking for possible solutions; along with the many concerns and challenges, came the discussion around the assets, skills and knowledge within the community. They lived on the Kinabatangan River-the 2nd longest river in Malaysia, their neighbours were Orang-utans, proboscus monkeys, hornbills and crocodiles, their neighbourhood was the infamous Borneo jungle and their culture was fascinating.
Years later the villagers are involved in the ongoing management and operation of a number of community programs including eco camp in the jungle, tree planting, nursery program, homestay and volunteer progams.
For me it represented the best in social enterprise. The need was clear and desperate, the people were keen for change and the outcomes are fantastic. Now we just have to find ways to go back and volunteer.
